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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/26159230">Judge, Jury and Executioner</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/Tulak_Hord/pseuds/Tulak_Hord'>Tulak_Hord</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Star Wars - All Media Types, Star Wars Legends - All Media Types, Star Wars Prequel Trilogy, Star Wars: The Clone Wars (2008) - All Media Types</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>A few Lovecraftian elements, Alternate Universe - Role Reversal, Alternate Universe - Time Travel, Dark Obi-Wan Kenobi, Gen, Jedi Lords, OOC Jedi Order, Powerful Obi-Wan Kenobi, Starbird Anakin, The Jedi are taking over</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-08-28</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-08-28</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-06 13:02:16</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Teen And Up Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>4,396</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/26159230</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/Tulak_Hord/pseuds/Tulak_Hord</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>After the death of Darth Sidious and the defeat of the Sith, the Jedi Lords are reinstated and have seized control of a 'misguided' Republic. Jedi Master Qui-Gon Jinn, unable to accept the takeover, has left the Jedi Order, taking his padawan with him- but the High Executioner of the Jedi Lords is relentless in his pursuit. </p><p>Or,<br/>Obi-Wan kills Anakin</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Dooku &amp; Mace Windu, Obi-Wan Kenobi &amp; Anakin Skywalker, Obi-Wan Kenobi &amp; Mace Windu, Qui-Gon Jinn &amp; Obi-Wan Kenobi</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>8</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>79</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>Judge, Jury and Executioner</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <strong>JUDGE, JURY AND EXECUTIONER</strong>
</p><p>Yavin IV- a forested moon orbiting a gas giant, crumbling ruins and unburdened pillars betraying the past existence of a temple of the Force.</p><p>Sith temple of Exar Kun or not, it would be natural that former Jedi Master Qui-Gon Jinn should consider it safe.</p><p>The Lord High Executioner of the Jedi Order begged to differ.</p><p>Throughout the galaxy, the name of Obi-Wan Kenobi was feared as much as it was worshipped; few spoke of the cleanser of Korriban and the foremost hunter of the Sith without awe and dread colouring their tones. The Jedi Lord was a force of nature, the hammer of the High Council which had brought order to the Galaxy.</p><p>A calm, unstoppable Vornskr who would not bite so long as you did not step out line. If you did, the very first bite would be fatal.</p><p>It had been ten years now, ten years since the Jedi Order claimed lordship of the Galaxy after the destruction of Darth Sidious and the Sith Order. Under the leadership of Grand Master Windu and Supreme Chancellor Dooku, the Ruusan Reformation had finally been undone, as it was no longer of use. The Jedi Lords had risen again, seneschals and protectors of planets that were deemed worthy, and the New Republic could finally be called, in the Chancellor’s own words, a safe and secure society.</p><p>Obi-Wan remembered the days as vividly as any other, for how could one forget? It signalled the rise of the Light and the subjugation of the Dark; the day the Jedi triumphed against the tide that would have risen to drown them.</p><p>He remembered it far more bitterly than most, for those were also the days of the silent resignation and betrayal of his own Jedi Master.</p><p>Obi-Wan had loved Qui-Gon Jinn like a father, only to be cast aside at but a glance for the <em>boy. Skywalker. </em></p><p>The so-called <em>Chosen One. </em></p><p>Bring Balance to the Force, they said he would- what balance was now needed, praytell? The Light had triumphed. ‘Balance’ would only mean the Dark Side- or so the High Executioner told himself. He would not concede that he did out of bitterness- a good Jedi never felt such emotions. He had come to ‘redeem’ his old master and slay Skywalker for the good of the Force.</p><p>He had no doubt that Qui-Gon would resist- but years of hunting Sidious’ Sith acolytes and every last prominent dark adept on the old Sith Worlds had honed Obi-Wan’s skills in battle to a truly terrible extent. He remembered beginning his hunt out of a sense of duty, out of a desire to contribute to the endeavour that had begun with Grand Master Yoda’s sacrifice (may it be remembered eternally).</p><p>It had begun with Chancellor Dooku, then still a Jedi Master, experiencing a vision of sorts after the Battle of Galidraan- Obi-Wan had never felt more proud to have the man as his grandmaster. It had taken twelve years for Master Dooku to endlessly, patiently sway the Jedi Order to his beliefs and methods, his foremost faith put in Mace Windu, whom he lead into discovering the identity of Darth Sidious.</p><p>Dooku, on his sojourns, had seemingly gained great knowledge of the arts of both the Dark Side and the Light, and told the Jedi Council of Force Storms.</p><p>When two minds, equal in the light and dark, connected and contested a direct battle of wills, wormholes concealed within hyperspace ripped open time and broke into realspace, the Force balancing the breaking of natural laws by taking the two minds with it.</p><p>Perceiving the decisions and teachings of his entire life to have been folly, Master Yoda accepted the responsibility of sacrifice. Evacuating the Jedi Temple on the elaborate pretext of a religious pilgrimage to Ossus and other old, holy worlds- Master Yoda sought the presence of one Senator Palpatine, embroiled then in a debate, and unleashed his power.</p><p>Unable to do anything but fight back, distracted and unsuspecting as he was, Darth Sidious let his darkness flow without his usual control, and the Force Storm had ripped apart Coruscant’s surface, destroying the Senate building and the Jedi Temple, ageing those not caught within the radius unnaturally.</p><p>Civil war had broken, with the title of Grand Master falling to Windu and the rise of Dooku as a masterful orator, leading a separatist alliance. With covert Jedi intervention on most battles, the Separatists seized control of the Galaxy, and with Dooku as the Cahncellor, established a new capital on his homeworld of Serenno.</p><p>Obi-Wan had himself seen much of the politics, required as his skills were in negotiation by his grandmaster’s side, but it was not the politics he remembered. He remembered the battles. He remembered how he needed less and less of his skills in negotiation as his name became so greatly feared that a word from him would seal planetary debates.</p><p>He remembered the <em>blood, </em>the <em>pain, </em>the <em>terror </em>that gnawed at him with countless battles against the acolytes of the Dark Side, battles into which he threw himself with all his gusto.</p><p>Darth Maul had fallen by his hand, as had Asajj Ventress. The traitors Sora Bulq and Jorus C’baoth soon followed on Dooku’s orders. Sly Moore. Sarcev Quest- the names were endless.</p><p>Yet the name of Kenobi was not feared in the galaxy as a harbinger of death for these reasons. It was his most notable conquest, that of the Chiss Ascendancy, that cemented his place as Jedi Lord of Csilla.</p><p>The Chiss, under House Nuruodo, had been terrifying opponents. Energy nets trapping Jedi Cruisers, finned fighters weaving from ship to ship, refusing to be hit- the strategic dominance of the Chiss admirals, luring the Jedi Lords into trap after trap.</p><p>Obi-Wan had sworn to himself to never suffer another defeat in detail, and to never again fall for the Marg Sabl manoeuvre. The nightmares were ceaseless.</p><p>In the end, it was an act of simple brutality that had won it- for Lord Kenobi had reached out through the Force and force-choked the foremost Chiss admirals, Ar’alani and Mitth’raw’nuruodo to death from where they were on their flagships.</p><p>In the end, all the peace, justice and security he had brought to the new Republic mattered little. He had never forgiven, never forgotten why he had set himself upon this path in the first place.</p><p>He had never forgiven Qui-Gon Jinn, and yet Lord Kenobi was magnanimous. His master may yet live if he proved wise and not heedless- but Anakin Skywalker could not be allowed to persist.</p><p>He recalled the day Grand Master Windu had elevated him to Jedi Lordship. <em>“By the right of the Council; by the will of the Force, I dub thee Jedi, Lord of the Republic.’ </em></p><p>He recalled how Dooku, his grandmaster, until then nothing but proud of his grand-padawan’s deeds, had refused to speak- refused to acknowledge that his task had been done until the threat of ‘Darth Vader’, as he prophesised Skywalker would become, was ended.</p><p>
  <em>Qui-Gon Jinn would not expect him coming. </em>
</p><p>His old master had always been more attuned to the Living Force than the Unifying, as he suspected Skywalker was as well. Though Qui-Gon knew his presence like no other, Obi-Wan had learned to cloak himself in shadow, to hide himself from even the most meticulous of eyes when he was still the Sith Hunter.</p><p>It was not a difficult matter. Muffled footsteps within Yavin’s jungles brought him to the clearing where he knew his master and his new… <em>padawan… </em>would be sparring, surely.</p><p>He had tracked them for three years. Adept though his master had been at escaping, and frustrating as his own lack of resolve that came from his attachment had been, <em>no one </em>could hide from the High Executioner of the Jedi Lords.</p><p>
  <em>“Master Qui-Gon, sir, try to keep up! I’ll leave you behind at this rate- just you wait, I’ll have defeated more Jedi than you by the next year!” </em>
</p><p>A booming laugh, and Obi-Wan fought the seething rage within. Grand Master Windu had taught him to use his own anger, but never his hatred. His own darkness was controlled and channelled into a rising tide to be unleashed against his enemies, not a consuming storm that could have struck himself as well.</p><p>“Oh, I’ve got no doubt that you’ll have caused the Jedi Lords more headaches than me before you’re even twenty- perhaps you may even defeat them all someday. With how your Djem So is progressing, I have no doubt that my deluded old master…”</p><p>
  <strong>
    <em>“Has seen to it that your brat remains no longer a threat.” </em>
  </strong>
</p><p>Qui-Gon turned, and his face morphed immediately. So often tortured and careworn from the constant fleeing these days, it had betrayed a rare smile when training Anakin, but Lord Kenobi’s arrival signalled only <em>pain- </em>and <em>rage. </em></p><p>“In the name of Supreme Chancellor Dooku and by edict of Grand Master Windu, you are under arrest, Qui-Gon Jinn.”</p><p>Obi-Wan walked out, not even igniting his lightsaber. Qui-Gon <em>snarled. </em></p><p>It may have once hurt the Jedi Lord- but it did not now. After all, Qui-Gon had never <em>truly </em>cared for him, had he? He’d cast him aside at the first opportunity when he discovered Skywalker on Tatooine. Obi-Wan could not be brought to care about him anymore- if Dooku was willing to sacrifice his own attachment to his padawan, why could Obi-Wan not do so?</p><p><em>“Anakin! Drop!” </em>Qui-Gon yelled, in a rare flash of foresight, as Obi-Wan’s spinning azure blade cut the air above the fifteen-year old boy.</p><p>“Today your machinations end, traitor.” said Obi-Wan coldly, as Qui-Gon leapt at him. A simple active parry dealt with his overhead cut, Obi-Wan’s honed skill easily curving the saber along the other side to inflict a small burn on Qui-Gon’s chest.</p><p>“I am disappointed in you, Obi-Wan. To think that my padawan would throw in his lot with my old master after he turned to the Dark Side- I never would have expected it. I am sorry, Obi-Wan, but I have failed you.” said Qui-Gon, launching into a flurry of wrath-cuts and squinting strikes.</p><p>The Sith Hunter calmly stepped into his now-legendary Soresu, deflecting every blow. The latest crosswise wrath-cut was met by a crossed ox, from which he turned his blade and struck his old master on the side of the face.</p><p>“The Dark Side? It is you who have fallen to darkness, my old master. And how characteristically self-important and hubristic of you to assume your disappointment means <em>anything.” </em>said the Jedi Lord, voice icy, as he purposely chose not to exploit an opening to the Chest, using the Force to throw his old master out of the way.</p><p>It was the tantalising thrill of battle yet again, as he was saved by his reflexes to turn around and deflect Skywalker’s strike to his side.</p><p>He had taken on three, four five opponents at a time, of comparable or greater skill than the Master-Padawan pair in front of him. He had cleansed entire tombs and crypts of Korriban, saving Grand Master Windu’s life by duelling and defeating the wrathful spectre of the ancient Sith Lord, Darth Andeddu, and thus earned the grudging respect of the holocron of the even mightier Tulak Hord.</p><p>His typical cold, detached analysis, one that he had worked hard to perfect, revealed that Skywalker had twice the power in the Force than his own, and ten times the potential.</p><p>
  <em>The High Executioner cared not a whit. </em>
</p><p>It was the irresistible force against the immovable object. Skywalker’s Force Augments were tremendous, channelling the entirety of his oppressive might in the Force, but he was no match for the Jedi Lord’s technique.</p><p>In the defences of Obi-Wan Kenobi, there could be no hole. He had far too many scars, far too many wounds to have not learned that lesson. And so Skywalker learned, even when his master rejoined the fight.</p><p>Against multiple opponents, the objective always was to allow engagement to only one. This was accomplished by footwork and aggressive circling, as well as strokes that attacked and defended at once.</p><p>“How utterly mediocre, boy. It seems you have learned nothing.” said Lord Kenobi dismissively, blocking another of Skywalker’s Djem-So overhead strikes before flicking his fingers, seeing that he held his lightsaber tenuously. It flipped out of his hands, and Kenobi moved in for the coup de grace.</p><p>The fifteen year old boy <em>bellowed, </em>and shot a wave of the Force so powerful that it uprooted trees- but Obi-Wan was not there. The deserter, Qui-Gon, attempted to leap out of the way of the ruin caused by his own apprentice, but Obi-Wan was there.</p><p>“Master Jinn, you disappoint me. I once held you in such high esteem.” Obi-Wan mocked, employing a turn of phrase of which Dooku himself was quite fond.</p><p>The taunt, however, did not work. Instead of attempting to catch him in a bind, the former Jedi Master withdrew his green blade, dipping it below Obi-Wan’s blue and attempting a thrust at his chest.</p><p>The Jedi Lord immediately swivelled his blade against his former master’s, turning it aside and cutting across his side.</p><p>Qui-Gon stumbled in shock, and Obi-Wan did not allow himself asmirk; not when Skywalker felt the pain of his master and came at him like a tempest.</p><p>His lightsaber retrieved, Anakin held him in a series of counter-offences and binds, suddenly displaying a far greater skill. His anger had given him focus, made him stronger.</p><p><em>He uses the Dark Side freely, </em>thought Obi-Wan, before a contemptuous sniff. <em>He is unbalanced. Emotional. Predictable and exploitable. </em></p><p>He had learnt of Vaapad under the Grand Master, and he employed it in full. Skywalker’s offense fell apart when faced with the brunt of his own power.</p><p>Perhaps in a different time, a different place, Obi-Wan would have slowed himself; would have allowed escape. He would have stood back and contemplated whether or not this was a mistake- but not Lord Kenobi. When faced with the prospect of <em>Darth Vader, </em>as his grand-master had warned him, Lord Kenobi was nothing but ruthless.</p><p>
  <em>“Argh!” </em>
</p><p>Skywalker could only give a choked grunt as his dominant arm was scythed apart. Obi-Wan cast a single glance at his lightsaber, a more intense, more blinding blue than his own, and cut it in two.</p><p><em>What could Master Jinn have seen in you to abandon us, </em>he thought.</p><p>
  <strong>“CEASE!”</strong>
</p><p>He heard the shout; it was a word of command, one from his own master. Qui-Gon Jinn held no power over him now; but <em>something </em>in his voice that was not his master’s prompted him to obey.</p><p>Gritting his teeth, he fought against it- only to be thrown back by a blast of the Force.</p><p>The wave of overwhelming power sent him flying through a tree, then another- but his back had been broken far too many times to cave under even this monumental strain.</p><p><em>“A mere Master is no match for a Lord.” </em>thought the Sith hunter, before drawing himself to his feet and once again igniting his lightsaber.</p><p>A wave of the Force came at him again, and he dug in his heels, erecting a force shield to stop it.</p><p>His master had no such power, he knew it. He had an aid.</p><p>Straining his eyes through the gales, Obi-Wan espied an <em>amulet </em>on his neck.</p><p>“The Kun amulet.” he said, gritting his teeth. He could practically feel the power of the ancient Sith Lord behind his master, but <em>Exar Kun, </em>formidable as he was and undefeated in his time, would not be the end of him today.</p><p><em>“To think that you would fall so low, my master.” </em>he grunted. Qui-Gon only raised the power of his maelstrom, unwilling to give him respite.</p><p>And yet Obi-Wan was not daunted. Exar Kun was more powerful by far than he had ever been or could be, second in potential perhaps only to Skywalker or Sidious. A peerless duellist- but it was not Exar Kun who faced him. It was Qui-Gon Jinn.</p><p>And Obi-Wan knew his master like no other.</p><p>His own power could produce nothing of the magnitude of the dark waves, but he had precision. He had <em>mastery. </em></p><p>Now and then, he shot a blast of the Force, lance-like and piercing, to his Master’s far-away body, and every time, Qui-Gon Jinn stumbled. Calling on the Dark Side and utterly consumed by it now, Qui-Gon would retaliate with five times the power- but to no avail.</p><p>High Executioner though he may have been called, Obi-Wan knew himself for what he was- the Eternal Defender.</p><p>Always on the backfoot, always with his back to the wall, he remained unbowed.</p><p>“To think that you would fall so far, for the sake of an eldritch terror who would destroy us all?” Obi-Wan taunted, sending two force waves in a pincer. Qui-Gon raged.</p><p><em>“Anyhting for Anakin!” </em>he yelled, calling upon the spirit of Exar Kun, who gave freely of his might as there was suffering to be had.</p><p>“Anything? You have always been blind, my master, but I never thought you so <em>deluded. </em>Can you not <em>see </em>whom you are raising? You have brought here the son of the Force, an eldritch abomination. Can you not see his <em>wings,</em> <em>stretching across a thousand unknowable dimensions?” </em>he asked.</p><p>“Then that is proof of his status as the Chosen One!” Qui-Gon shouted, but his power was <em>lessening. </em></p><p>Obi-Wan recognised it for what it was.</p><p>“Now that I have your attention, Lord Kun, I would ask you to listen well to my words, though I may be a Jedi. This blind fool thinks he is raising a <em>man- </em>to be what? A Jedi, following his own bastardised code? I think not. I see him for what he truly is. Unless his wings are cut apart, unless his thousand throats are burned with lava, Skywalker shall be a god. He will be beyond any of us. Would you like to be enslaved by the unknowable, Dark Lord of the Sith?”</p><p>A deep rumble.</p><p>
  <strong>
    <em>“No.” </em>
  </strong>
</p><p>It was as Obi-Wan expected. Waves of Darkness leeched off Qui-Gon, who could do nothing but curse in dismay, trying to grab the remnants of dar power that was not his own to begin with.</p><p><strong>“Perhaps you shall then prove a worthier vessel, ‘Executioner’.” </strong>said Lord Kun, and the tendrils of Darkness made their way to Obi-Wan.</p><p>A cacophony of rumbles.</p><p>
  <em>“No.” </em>
</p><p>Obi-Wan’s use of the same exclamation was different from Lord Kun’s. It was not filled with the rage of a thousand years or the defiance of a Dark Lord. The whisper was silent, almost pitying- as if he knew.</p><p><strong>“You dare contest me?” </strong>came the spectral voice, and Lord Kenobi merely shook his head.</p><p>“It is because I don’t <em>accept </em>you, Lord Kun. I <em>reject </em>you and your darkness, as I am not burdened by the same attachment as my old master. Perhaps you should hear your own tenet, Sith- once may only call oneself ‘Lord’, if one has no master. One is otherwise a slave. I am a Jedi Lord. I bow to none.” Obi-Wan said.</p><p>Tendrils of the Darkness rushed to him, Exar Kun confident in his ability to overpower the Jedi Lord.</p><p><em>The spectre was cast aside like a fly. </em>It was not power that did it- it was simple rejection. A silent immunity to all temptation.</p><p>“Terrorise another, Dark Lord.” said Obi-Wan, and the spirit of Exar Kun was sent screeching back to his temple.</p><p>The battle was exceedingly short afterwards.</p><p>Qui-Gon had taken the opportunity to take him by surprise, but perfect, masterful Soresu kept him at bay. Right as the deserter panted under the exertion of keeping up his own blows, the Jedi Lord caught him with a little strike to his hands with his hilt.</p><p>The Slash to his chest was non-lethal. Qui-Gon Jinn fell to the floor, wounded and spent.</p><p>“So much for you, traitor. A liar who believes his own words is more dangerous than a manipulator who does not.”</p><p>
  <em>HRAKKK.</em>
</p>
<hr/><p>He could not breathe.</p><p>Could not breathe, could not touch, could not see.</p><p>Skywalker had risen again, and he had brought all his power to bear. For once, Obi-Wan was no match.</p><p>How could he be, a mortal facing a God?</p><p><strong><em>“You hurrrt himmmm.” </em></strong>Skywalker spoke, his voice a great tempest that shook the jungle.</p><p>One would think the fifteen year old spoke from his mouth, the rumbling caused by the power of the Force- but Obi-Wan had sight.</p><p>He spoke from not one throat but a hundred.</p><p>He held him not in place with outstretched hands, but with wings that spanned worlds,each fether ending in a claw.</p><p>This boy- no, <em>this god- </em>had the power to rip open black holes, if only he learned mastery. Obi-Wan’s considerable barriers held him in place, but no more.</p><p>He could not break the hold.</p><p>He was doomed.</p><p>He saw Skywalker for what he truly was- <em>the Starbird. </em></p><p>The Myth had a root.</p><p>Outwardly, he was just a fifteen year old boy, tall for his age, an involuntary amputee.</p><p>Within the Force, he was a leviathan of a thousand wings which spanned worlds, each tip ending in a hundred claws, each feather of his tail a roaring pulsar.</p><p><strong><em>“You hurt my massster.” </em></strong>came the voice again, sounding almost <em>hurt, </em>but Obi-Wan heard his true voice, ears bleeding from the cosmic cacophony.</p><p><strong><em>“You will suffer for it.” </em></strong>There was no doubt that he would.</p><p>After all, what was he against the son of the Force?</p><p>What was he, against this god-in-the-making?</p><p>The Jedi Lords would all be vanquished. The Republic would be forevermore under the iron fist of the Chosen One.</p><p>The deep voice subsided, replaced once again by a boy’s tones.</p><p>“You know why Master Qui-Gon left you? Because he’s a good person. He wouldn’t stand by while you took over the Galaxy. He stopped to train me because he <em>cared.” </em></p><p>Obi-Wan found his strength.</p><p>“And what should it be to you, that he cared?” he shouted, losing his iron control. “He cared once for me as well- he cared for all of us, and he betrayed that, right at the moment of our victory! What he has for you, boy, is not ‘care’ but obsession!” Obi-Wan screamed.</p><p><em>“Perhaps because I’m worth it.” </em>he said, tightening his grip. Obi-Wan could feel his life slipping away.</p><p>‘And you are not’ went unsaid.</p><p>Another claim of inadequacy. Another <em>underestimation. </em></p><p>In another life, he would have agreed. Who was he against this <em>god- </em>this <em>starbird </em>in the Force? What was his worth, a mere Jedi against the Son of the Cosmos?</p><p>In this one, Lord Kenobi responded in the only way he knew.</p><p>
  <em>With lethal force. </em>
</p>
<hr/><p>“Wake, Lord Kenobi. You have served the Republic well.”</p><p>He blinked open his eyes to find himself in a sterile, completely white room. A medical facility, of some sort.</p><p>Obi-Wan found that he could not move his limbs- indeed, it was as if they never existed. He could not feel the rise and fall of his chest, as it did not. He was hooked to a respirator.</p><p>Beyond a transparisteel screen. Grand Master Windu was eyeing him, eyes half-filled with concern and half with… <em>pride. </em></p><p>Slowly, his memories returned. He recalled releasing control, allowing Skywalker to crush him from within. His limbs had been rendered insensate, and he had bled all over- but as always, for a purpose.</p><p>Skywalker had ignored Obi-Wan’s lightsaber, divested from him by his own power. And before the Force Crush could be the end of him, he had ignited it, sent it spiralling through the air and had done what must be done.</p><p>“It would be wrong of us, Obi-Wan, to ask you to do anything more than what you have done already- I’m afraid to say no form of medical treatment could heal your limbs or revitalise you.</p><p>Through the respirator, his voice was harsh.</p><p>“So I am doomed to always live in a vegetative state, a relic of the war?” he said as calmly as he could, and then coughed.</p><p><em>“No, no.” </em>said the Grand Master, running a hand through his scalp as if he had hair.</p><p>“Then what… ach… are we waiting for, Master Windu? End it. I shall have had the honour of having been slain by one of our own.”</p><p>“I could <em>never </em>kill you, Obi-Wan. Not after what you have done.” said the Grand Master, shaking his head. “I’ve come here to tell you that Dooku may have found a solution- a more… esoteric one. It shall, however, exact a terrible price.”</p><p>“No price is too great to pay for the good of the Republic, Master Windu. Show me.”</p><p>“Very well.”</p><p>The Grand Master raised his hand, revealing an odd sort of- <em>briefcase </em>that he had been carrying. And as soon as he saw what was within, Obi-Wan flinched. A tug on the respirator pained his throat, but he could do nothing.</p><p>
  <em>Orbalisks. </em>
</p><p>“Is… is that truly… the only solution, Master Windu?” Obi-Wan asked.</p><p>He had heard of Orbalisk armour from only one source, that being Master Dooku, who had somehow come to know and reveal various secrets of Sith Lore. The Dark Lord Darth Bane had used a similar device- but Republic or not, Obi-Wan doubted whether or not he’d have the ability to fight off the sheer <em>pain and rage </em>that came when one felt the sting of an Orbalisk.</p><p>“Their venom contains powerful regenerative properties, capable of healing any damaged cell save for dead ones. We would never ask you to do something you don’t wish, Obi-Wan. We are Jedi. But I ask you, can you- will you be content to remain as you are, a hero but still a meaningless scrap of life?” asked Master Windu provocatively.</p><p>The words struck right within Obi-Wan’s heart- and yet he would consider more. Consumed by pain and anger, this would be his life from now on.</p><p>After a long silence, he finally made his choice.</p><p>
  <em>“I will do what I must.” </em>
</p><p>Master Windu raised an eyebrow, scrutinising him for all his worth. He saw nothing but resolve.</p><p>“Good. Then, Lord Kenobi, I am proud to see that you shall serve again.”</p><p>As he felt the first Orbalisk’s stinging bite, Obi-Wan could not muster the strength to scream in agony.</p><p> </p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Yes, Dooku is the one to have time-travelled. I enjoy a time-travelling Dooku for inexplicable reasons. He's manipulated his peers for years and revealed just enough for Yoda to agree to the sacrifice, with Mace Windu taking over. </p><p>Obi-Wan has murdered pretty much every Darksider who refused to negotiate for the sake of Democracy. He's even killed Thrawn. For some reason, I simply needed to write a story in which Obi-Wan kills Anakin as I've never seen one before. </p><p>Starbird Anakin came out of nowhere, and as the Starbird is a mythical creature, I decided for it to be an eldritch horror for even fewer explicable reasons.</p></blockquote></div></div>
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